Blackout
by LagunaMojo
Summary: Maou and his subordinates continue to struggle through their day-to-day lives and romance is the last thing in their minds, but would a mass power shortage in the middle of winter change any of that? Slow-paced, lighthearted fic. This might take a while... Updated in inconsistent variables... UrushiharaXKamazuki with little doses of MaouxEmi
1. Chapter 1

**I'm somewhat of a descriptive writer so I tend to write more about what they're doing than what they're saying. :D Hope you guys like light and slow-paced stories, because they're all I write. Nothing beats a good long story if you ask me. It goes without saying that I don't own Devil is a Part Timer. Enjoy!**

**Edit: Updated; proofread by DTM Sora**

* * *

**Castle Overlord; 10:30am; Winter**

Snow was rare to see in Tokyo so it came to a surprise to much of the population that a blizzard went over and through Shibuya the previous evening. The snow started pouring in just as Maou stepped inside with a small electric radiator he just picked up from a 100-yen store three blocks down. Ashiya suspected that the snow would fall sooner or later and voiced it over with his roommates on passing the other day; though he didn't expect Maou to get a radiator with the little funds they had left. Still, it was a lot better than spending another night in a cold and damp apartment.

A new day has come and as the sun rises the blizzard fades away, leaving just a few snowflakes sprinkling over the neighbourhood. The snow fell softly painting the whole district white. Urushihara, slouched in front of his computer, was still shivering from the punishing and restless evening he had in the poorly insulated Castle Overlord.

"Oi, Ashiya." The former demon general called his colleague in a lazy tone, as he started to grumble, "Could you turn the heat up a bit? It's still freezing in here and I can't feel my feet."

"I'd be glad to do that as soon as you turn the computer off. We don't need two contraptions inflating our electric bill," Ashiya said as he was cutting coupons at the table in an effort to help their hopeless financial situation. Maou was at MgRonald's today, as usual, and he thought that this would be his own little way to help around the house, as far as spending was concerned.

"Ehhh... Just pull the plug on the fridge, I don't think it's even holding anything right now."

"DON'T YOU SEE ME CUTTING COUPONS! I'M TRYING MY BEST TO FEED YOU WITH THE LITTLE THAT WE HAVE AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT HEAT?" Ashiya shouted before letting out a sigh and gathered his composure, "Plus, we have a week's worth of Suzuno's cooking in there, wouldn't want any of that to go to waste, now do we?"

"Well, **_you_** don't. I'd rather have pizza," Hanzo whispered to himself though still loud enough to get Shiro's attention.

"_Excuse me?_" Shiro beams at the NEET.

"Nothing. What I meant to say was, isn't there any way to turn up the heat in this place?"

Ashiya looked down at the pile of coupons he's been cutting all morning, "Well... *sigh* I guess there's... one way."

"Huh? How?"

"Come with me," Ashiya said as he stood up and gestured at the door and started walking towards it.

"Where are we going?" Hanzo asked proceeding to stand up and follow him.

Ashiya walked out the door, toward the railings of the apartment's stairs as Hanzo followed behind him. He continued to close his eyes and check for wind. "I may still have enough magic to change the weather, but I wouldn't count on it too much."

Urushihara's eyes widened as he marveled at his friend's words and supposed skill, "You... you can do that? H... how?"

"You're going to have to help me with this. Here, stand next to me and raise one hand to the air," Shiro raised both hands to the air and meditated.

Hanzo, who was very enthusiastic at this point, did what he is told and lifted his left arm as he cracked a smile, "I really didn't know you can do this," before he started to channel magic to one arm and feel the cold railings with the other.

"Can you feel that? Can you feel that wind?" Ashiya asked.

A chill went down Hanzo's spine as he felt a cold breeze lick the back of his neck. He got excited, just the thought that the next breeze might be warmer thaws his dark heart. "YES! YES! I FEEL THE WIND!" His eyes grew wider and his smile turned into a grin, "What of it?" Hanzo closed his eyes in anticipation.

**BAM!**

_"What was that?... No... He wouldn't,"_ Words that were passing through Urushihara's mind as he heard what seemed to sound like the apartment door being slammed shut behind him. He lazily opened his eyes and quickly turned around.

"Well, you can stand out there and feel it some more," Shiro said sitting back at the table and clipped the remaining of the newspapers "In a while I'll let out in, and I'm sure that you'll find that inside would be warmer than you'd recall."

"ASHIYA!" Hanzo shouted kneeling at the door and banged on it with all he's got.

"What's all this commotion about?" A small, yet stern voice said surprising Hanzo. He snapped out of his tantrum and sluggishly rolls his eyes toward Suzuno, carrying a large basket filled with produce.

"If you have to know, Ashiya locked me out. I think he's trying to make me develop personality," he turned back to the door, "BUT IT'S NOT WORKING!"

Suzuno raised her eyebrows in concern, "How long have you been out here?"

"Not too long," he informed her. Hanzo dropped his head in defeat and leant on the door, "What's it to you?"

"Well... it's just that it's below freezing out here and you're shivering," she stated as she walked up the stairs, leaving her luggage on the ground. Urushihara's body was indeed shivering, if not violently quivering; his small frame just couldn't hold up with the temperature.

"I can manage," he said lifting his head once again, "EVEN WITHOUT THE DAMN HEATER!" Feeling cold, Hanzo reverted to his defeated position and guised at Suzuno out the corner of his eye, "What are you doing out so early anyway?"

"... It's near noon."

"Does it matter?" He asked as he collected himself, sitting at the top of the staircase gesturing beside him; asking Suzuno to sit next to him. Suzuno complied.

"I went to the farmer's market. Food's running low in the apartment, and I couldn't let you starve to death," she answered, looking at the basket she had brought home.

With ankles and wrists still shaking in the air, Hanzo asked, "Me?" Urushihara looked at Suzuno with the tired face he usually sported.

Suzuno's look turned into a dazed stare, then shot a look straight through her knees, "You GUYS."

"Huh?" Hanzo responded raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I couldn't let you GUYS starve to death," her head shot back up as she glared at Hanzo, "You're one egoistic little devil, aren't you?"

"Ohhh," he acknowledged, as his neck sluggishly turned forward and his eyes slowly met with the horizon in front of him. He snorted to keep mucus from dripping out his nose. "I don't suppose you can get me back inside, can you?" He asked as his knees were already joining his wrists and ankles in their little dance.

"I'll see what I can do." Suzuno sighed standing up and knocked at the door, "Ashiya."

"Yes?" Shiro asked peeking his head out the window.

"Is it really necessary to lock Hanzo out here in the cold?"

"The cold will do well for his character," Ashiya explained.

"Is there any chance for you to let him in, he's going to catch a cold."

"Not 'till that inconsiderate brat learns to appreciate the little things in life, such as the electric heater m'lord has graced upon us," he stated with a smug look, "Plus a small draft blew away my coupons, and I'd rather gather them up before he stomps all over the place," his face was marked with embarrassment, "If it would ease your worrying, you can take him in for a bit, while I collect the coupons off the ground."

"Thank you, Ashiya," Suzuno said bowing politely and turns toward Hanzo, "Well you heard him, you don't have to stay out here in the cold."

"Thank you, Ashiya," the fallen angel said nonchalantly, "Better gather those clippings quickly, Maou will be home in a while. You'd better not touch that computer."

* * *

**Suzuno's Apartment; 11:15am**

Suzuno unlocked her door and turned the lights on while Hanzo walked down the hall, dragging the produce basket behind him. The cold has taken its toll on his frail body and he couldn't move much. As he turned and entered the apartment, he noticed that it wasn't as warm as he expected it to be. It was cold and dry, a chilly draft snapped at him and his body went numb. He crashed to the floor, arms around his shoulders, shuddering.

"I see you don't have a heater," he said as he tried to pick himself up, "At least it's dry. Where do I put the basket?"

"Right there at the corner," she gestured as she turned the stove on to make soup for her guest and herself.

Hanzo grabbed his temples with one hand and leaned his other hand on the far side wall, "Whew, I think I'm getting light-headed."

"Grab the futon from the cabinet, set it up and lie down for a bit before you hurt yourself," she suggested as she began to boil a pumpkin.

It was mid-December and Urushihara hasn't gotten much sleep since late-November and he'd been in front of the computer when he wasn't asleep. He'd been in the habit of skipping meals and often reasoned that he didn't do much to need to eat anyway. His body lacked exercise and refused to help around with the chores.

"Alright, where in the cabinet do you keep you futon?" as soon as he leaned away from the wall, his vision started to blur.

**BLAG!**

Suzuno let out an audible sigh. She turned around to find an unconscious Hanzo on the floor, face down. She flipped him over, grabbed the futon, placed him on it, and tucked him in. She prepared the rest of the vegetables for their soup and started to heat a kettle to remedy Urushihara's cold feet.

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**Hey, guys! It's my first story. Stay tuned if you like HanzoxSuzuno and MaouxEmi. I write really slow paced stories so I'm not expecting a lot of people to follow my fic. But if you DO like my fic... R&R please. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**MgRonald's - Hatagaya Station; 1:30pm**

It wasn't as packed as yesterday, the storm really hit their profits today. Fortunately, they went over their marketing quota last week and could afford a slow day like this. It was a _really_ slow day, only a handful of customers walked through the doors and most of them only ordered hot beverages. The only upside to the day was that the store was heated. Kisaki thought they might as well raise the heat in the restaurant to try to attract more costumers, but with a couple of feet of snow on the roads, they weren't leaning on it. Maou stood for 9 hours in front of the register, holding a fading smile as a sweat drops would occasionally form on his forehead. He really didn't have much to do; no tables to clean, no food to cook, not even a comrade to talk to. Chiho phoned in earlier and said she couldn't make it to today's shift, the train stations are closed and it would be too difficult to slush through 2 feet of snow, given her height. It was one of those day, and it was quitting time.

"Why'd I even bother bringing Dullahan to work?" the Dark Lord asked himself as he dragged his bike behind him in the snow. Clumps of snow fall on his head every few steps, putting him in a very sour mood. "This is getting tedious," he says to himself as he curdles his face.

Out the corner of his eye, he spots a familiar redhead at a barren intersection. _"Now I have to deal with this pain in the ass,"_ he straightens his clothes and turns on a bright smile as he walks toward the girl. As he approaches, his usually vibrant nemesis' features become clearer, and the more unattractive she looked. Pale, dry skin, runny nose, tired eyes, slouched posture; she didn't seem like herself. Every step he took closer to her his smile would fade a little, to be replaced by increasing levels of cringe.

"Uhhhmm... Emi?"

"Leave me alone," she responded with a stern, mildly irritated voice without breaking her annoyed glare at the distance.

"I thought you worked at night last week?" he tries to recover his smile, failing miserably. Wearing an awkward smile with his eyebrows still wincing at the sight before him.

"Shut up."

"You live a ways away from here and the trains aren't working, you really like your job that much?"

"I hate my job, but it's still a responsibility. What did you expect? I _**am**_ the hero. I'm surprised **_you_ **came in to work with this weather."

"Haha!" Maou laughed in amusement, "You really don't expect me to take that seriously, do you?" He stands straight and poses a strong-man's stance, "You are talking to the ever so diligent shift manager of MgRonald's Hatayaga Station. With my wit and outstanding people skills, I will amass a fortune before you, more than your feeble mind can muster! You can count on that!"

"Only an idiot would carry his bike all the way to work, just to drag it back home again," she replied with a tired voice, "Why'd you bring that hunk of metal anyway?"

"..."

"Well?"

"It's not that you'd understand, I thought to bring it in just in case the snow thawed out over the afternoon... which it didn't," he scratches the back of his head, "On the plus side, I get more exercise from dragging Dullahan through this gunk. So this _is _really a smart thing I'm doing. Hahaha," he puts his hands on his waist feeling proud, "I've got more brains than I know what to do with."

"So I've noticed," she casually answers. All of the sudden, the ambient air seem colder and the surroundings seem darker. Emi turns to the Overlord only to see him wincing as he dropped his head.

"Did you just insult me with my own words?"

Emi let out a very loud sigh, "Yes, yes I did," the Hero can't believe that the same demon who terrorized Ente Island a while back has self-esteem issues. She continues to look at him with disappointment.

"I... I can't believe you twisted my words like that. How could you be so cruel."

"I'm just saying things outright. I mean, you _DID _bring your bike all the way to work under all this snow. Didn't you at least expect to b-"

"YOU AREN'T EVEN GOING TO APOLOGIZE?!" Maou shouts in disbelief, "Sheesh! Some hero _you_ are."

"Ughhh. Please leave me alone," Emi squirms, "I barely had sleep, I had to work a double overtime on top of my regular shift."

"The trains closed before you could get off work did they."

"Yes," the redhead whimpers under her voice, donning a shaky pout accompanied by little puddles forming around her eyes. She felt sorry for herself. _"I'm a good girl. Why do these things keep happening to me?" _She was cold, she was wet, she was exhausted. The reason Maou caught up with her at the intersection was because her legs refused to move. She felt pathetic, and she didn't have the energy to hide it from her enemy any longer.

"Boy," Maou grabs the back of his neck, "Now I feel bad for shouting at you," he stopped for a while to ponder. He _did _buy a new heater for the house, he _did _finally bought a spare bead for Hanzo which he rarely uses, he _did _give some money to Suzuno before she went to the market and asked her to buy more food them and herself; and Emi has always been a big help to them. They went into this world and forged a give-and-take, love-hate relationship and he wasn't about to leave a broken Emi Yusa at the corner of the road, waiting for the trains to open up again.

He felt her heart break from embarrassment in front of him. He sympathized with her. He thought of how long she had to stand there all morning and thought of her coming home to an empty apartment once it was all said and done. He wasn't having any of it.

"Hmmm..." Maou started to think. Emi gave him an annoyed look.

_"I **could** take her home. Show her that I AM a generous lord. But then again, she'd be whining about everything. Ugh. She'll be a handful! Getting under Ashiya's nerves, then by the time she leaves I'll have to deal with a brooding Shiro. Ewww. I'm definitely not looking forward to that. But I still can't leave her here. Hmmm... Should I or shouldn't I?"_

_"What the hell could he be thinking about at a time like this? Maybe he'd take me in. Ugh. The thought of it. Ewww. But still, it **would **be nice to have a place to rest. Just a stack of magazines to lay my head on would b-"_

At that moment, Maou dashed away holding the Dullahan overhead. Emi screamed at the top of her lungs, "OI! JERK! DON'T LEAVE ME OUT HERE!"

* * *

**Castle Overlord; 2:15pm**

Suzuno just finished making ginger tea. The smell of ginger and lemon filled the apartment complex; it didn't raise the temperature, but it did give a certain warmth to the place. She fills a cup, places it beside the resting Hanzo and brings the kettle over to Ashiya to see if she could be of any assistance.

**Knock! Knock!**

Ashiya peers out the door and sees the small girl, greeting her in a friendly albeit passive manner, "Oh. Hello. Is Urushihara up yet?"

Suzuno shakes her head, "Is there any work I can help with?" she asks as she peeks in.

"I'm already done tidying up. But you're welcome to step in if you want, the radiator isn't _that _hot but I'm sure it helps," he says as he opens the door and welcomes her in.

They sit around the table across each other with Ashiya on the far side of the door. Shiro crosses his legs as Suzuno settles down on her knees. Ashiya begins to crack down numbers in a calculator whilst looking at his notepad and coupons at hand, while Suzuno marvels at the radiator; she began to stare at it. How can something give out so much heat without fire? It was magic to her. How? HOW? HOW!?

"The wonders of technology," Ashiya blurted as he poured some tea into his cup, Suzuno's flabbergasted and breaks her stare at the radiator.

"Huh?" she asked.

"You were staring at the radiator, which was kinda weird, then after a while asked 'how' three times," he sips on his tea.

"Ohhh...," she looked at the ground, embarrassed.

"You looked like you were about to pass out, thinking so hard."

"Could we not talk about it, please!" her cheeks redden with humiliation.

"Then what would _you _have us talk about?"

"Anything else, please."

"Alright then, what is it about Urushihara that you like so much?" Shiro leans into the table toward Suzuno, smirking at her.

"What?!" Suzuno shoots a shocked look at Ashiya. Blood rushes to her cheeks and her face's already red hue becomes darker. Realizing this, she shoots a look back at the floor, trying to hide her expression.

"I've been noticing some things recently."

"L... like what?"

"I just can't give these things away. It's going to have to cost you."

"How much?!" Suzuno darts at him a look with both eyebrows in the air.

"Well," Ashiya registers in a deep gloomy voice, "Ever since the temperature's started dropping, washing clothes has been a real chore, especially denim. How about a week of you washing the Dark Lord's pants?"

Suzuno looks at her hands placed on her lap. She balls them into fists and gently pounds them down to her lap over and over. _"A week. A week of washing denim. I don't even know how to wash denim. Was I even **that** obvious? Alright, I'm doing_ _this." _She stops and looks at Shiro.

"Deal. Now what are they?" She dons a serious look.

"You spend too much time here, where you spend most of your time with Urushihara, talking over him and guiding him through his chores. I've seen you outside and you don't look like you have a problem with technology, but you seem to hold a grudge against his computer," he points to the computer, "You know very well that I can cook for this household and with milord's pay raise we'd have just enough to get by, but you seem adamant in keeping our fridge well stocked."

"Bu-" Suzuno tried to cut him off but he continued.

"Lastly, you _asked _me to let him in earlier, and when I said that _**you **_should take him in, you didn't even hesitate and practically dragging him in. The head bishop of the Reformation taking the Fallen Angel of the Dawn in, nursing him back to health, it's unheard of," he the continues to mash buttons on his calculator as Suzuno sits in silence, listening to her blood pump in her ears.

"You're overstating!" she responded in an aggressive although timid manner, "Just because I look after the people around me doesn't mean I like anyone or am in love with anyone!"

"I find that hard to believe with your face as red as a tomato," he says as he proceeds to tally all the discounts he's computed, ignoring Suzuno's defensive tone.

"What does that have to do with anything?! All it shows is that I'm trying to be a good person! It does not, in any way, shape or form, prove that I like Hanz-"

"I'm up," the door swings open behind Suzuno, her face turns pale with Hanzo's voice ringing in her ears; she was caught flat-footed. Urushihara steps in, bowl of soup in hand, and sits in front of the computer; disregarding his surroundings as he opens a web browser. Suzuno's mind scrambles to regain composure.

_"Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap," _Suzuno thinks to herself as she begins to pound her lap again.

Ashiya lifts his head from his notepad and looks at Hanzo, "Oi, Urushihara, did you say thank you to Suzuno?" For a demon, Ashiya puts courtesy in high regard. He was practically a noble and lives up to it whenever he can, he believes that being civil is what separates him from other lowly demons. He thought nothing of the gesture, but Suzuno on the other hand...

_"Is he serious?! He's totally on to me now! I'm going to make him regret this. There's no need for any more tension! He acts like a high school student, teasing me like this! He be-"_

Hanzo lets out a sigh, and without turning, he lazily thanks Suzuno, "Thank you, Kamazukiiiii."

Suzuno was stunned, but quickly recovers just in time to respond, "Eh... Hehe. It was nothing."

"OI! CAN SOMEONE OPEN UP?! I'M ABOUT TO GIVE OUT HERE!" A voice from outside the apartment.

Ashiya closes his notepad, "I'll get it, no sense in keeping him out there in the cold."

"Hey! You kept me out in the cold," Hanzo turns and complains.

"Unlike you, the Overlord doesn't torture me with his griping in a daily basis," Ashiya stands up and walks toward the door. He pauses for a while and whispers to Suzuno, "I'd suggest that you be a little less nice to Urushihara, lest he finds out about your dilemma." Suzuno looks down and silently nods.

"Why doesn't he open the door himself? I mean, he does it everyday. Why the sudden change?" Hanzo voices out.

"I'm sure he's just tired," Ashiya responds while he opens the door. His smile turned into a look of disappointment, eyebrows straight in frustration, as he looks at Maou, "Hmmm... What series of events happened for it to lead to this situation."

The question spiked Urushihara's curiosity, "I've got to see this," he paces toward the door while Suzuno snaps out of her stunned state and walks behind Hanzo to grab a peek at what's happening. They both blink their eyes in disbelief.

Outside the door stood Maou, with trembling knees and a flexed face, using all his strength to keep standing; sweat forming all over his forehead. In his arms was a mortified Emi, face red with humiliation; playing with her thumbs, staring at them. Since Emi's legs refused to function, Maou had to carry her, bridal-style, all the way from the intersection then back home. It wasn't a pleasing scenario for the both of them.

"Could any of you yahoos move aside so I could drop this lug already?"

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**Thanks for reading. I was thinking of putting teasers at the end of chapters, would that be a good idea? :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Special thanks to DTM Sora for betareading this chapter. :D They were supposed to be three betareaders, but I guess the other two were too busy?**

* * *

**Castle Overlord; 4:30pm**

"Well?!" Maou's eyebrows were now trembling with frustration. Shiro, Hanzo, and Suzuno were suspended in shock and still wouldn't move.

"Oh!" Finally, Ashiya broke off his staggered daze and lets him through, "Of course!" Ashiya proceeded to move both Hanzo and Suzuno aside as Maou stomped past them under Emi's weight.

"Oi, Urushihara," Maou said glancing over his shoulder, "Could you take a futon out the closet?"

"Eh?" Hanzo muttered a complaint and looked to the side, "I'm already worn out. Besides, she seems pretty comfortable in your arms."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Emi Shouted throwing a shoe square at Hanzo's face. Urushihara fell backwards from the impact landing very hard on the floor while Emi due to all her sudden movement caused Maou to lose his grip on her and went head first to the ground. Both were left wincing and twitching in pain, the only audible words coming from them were insults directed at each other.

"Hermit, Nerd, Tech freak, Unemployed bum…"

"Stalker, Clutz, Flat-chested witch, Immoral Nephilim…"

"I'll get the futon," Suzuno suggested as she walked over to the closet, "Which one do I lay out?" she asked as she opened the door open and saw three futons folded beside each other.

"The one on the right, that one hardly gets used," Maou stated as he sat beside the table, eager to take a rest. Suzuno took the futon in her arms and looked for a place to set it up.

"You weren't kidding," Suzuno said noticing that the bed barely had imprints and had a pleasant fabric softener smell. She stuck her nose in it, taking in the scent with one big whiff.

"Yeah, Urushihara rarely goes to sleep," Maou responded, cracking his back as he did so.

Suzuno's eyes widen, "E… excuse me?"

"I never really understood what's in that computer of his that's better than a good night's sleep," Ashiya thought aloud as he placed the cups they used on the sink.

"What is with that computer, Urushihara?" Maou asked turning to face his subordinate still whimpering on the floor.

"Goody-two-shoes. Call center wench. Flat-chested her-"

"YOU ALREADY SAID FLAT-CHESTED! GIVE ME A BREAK!" Emi screamed hurling her other shoe straight at Hanzo, which bounced off the back of his head speeding right back to her forehead, effectively knocking them both out.

"Well that's that… Oooh! Ginger tea!" Maou said eagerly pouring himself a cup, "Anyway, you could place the bed pretty much anywhere you like," he said to Suzuno with a smile.

She didn't hear him though; her eyes and focus were still on Hanzo's futon. _"He's going to kill himself with what he's doing. He's human now; he's going to need to sleep sooner or later. Wait, what am I thinking? Not that I care, he can do whatever the hell pleases him. But still, he doesn't sleep, he barely even eats, he takes exercise for granted, and it's all because of the stupid machine of his,"_ she stared down at the computer, _"I swear, one of these days, I'm going to break that mach-"_

"Uhm, Suzuno?" Maou looks at her, dumbfounded. Finally hearing Maou, Suzuno got sucked back into reality.

She quickly turned to face Maou, "Huh?" giving him a staggered expression.

"Never mind," Maou responded with a straight face as he took a sip of his drink. The tea slide down his throat, giving the sensation of little pop rocks snapping at every turn. It soothed him. He stretched out his body and slumped over the table, giving out an exhausted sigh of relief.

"You seem pretty tired, milord," Ashiya noticed as he washed the dishes.

"It was slow day at work and my arms are still killing me."

"Maybe if you hadn't carried the Hero like that, you'd probably not be as worn-out as you are. Giving her a piggyback would've been a lot easier."

* * *

_**Flashback; On the road; 3:00pm**_

_"You sure weigh a lot for a girl," Maou murmured to himself. Emi was fast asleep, wrapped around his back. It took a lot of bickering, but they were finally moving. Maou never thought he'd live to see the day that he'd give the very person who was after his life, a piggyback ride to his house. He'd been walking for about three blocks, dragging his feet beneath him. Somewhere along the way a 6 year old ran out her house and started to follow them, pattering her feet alongside the Devil King; wearing full winter attire, dragging a sled behind her._

_"Hey mister!" the girl looked up to Maou, shouting as if he couldn't hear her._

_Maou put on a smile, there was no reason for him to show how disgruntled he was in front of a child, "Yes, little girl?"_

_"What happened to your girlfriend?"_

_"She didn't get sleep last night and now she's really drowsy so, shhhhh. And for the record, she's not my girlfriend."_

_"She's not?!" the kid exclaimed in skepticism, still yelling just in case Maou didn't hear._

_"Do you have to keep yelling?"_

_"Then why are you giving her a piggyback ride?!"_

_"Because that's what friends do for each other. When one's down, the other has to pick her up," he said with a grin, pretty satisfied with knowledge he shared with the girl._

_"I wish I had friends," the child sighed to herself._

_"Hm? Don't you have friends?" Maou asked in concern._

_"Not really, most girls in my class are shy and quiet, except for Iori, but she's too noisy. And who'd like to be friends with icky boys?! Ewww!" she shouted with her tongue out._

_"Hey! I'm a boy!"_

_"I meant boys MY age, dum-dum," then her eyes filled with light with a new idea in tow, "Hey! Hey mister!"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Will you be my friend?" she said as she looked up to him again._

_"What?" Maou donned a confused look, when suddenly the little girl latched herself to one of his legs and began to beg, as most children do._

_Please, please, please, pleaaasseee!"_

_"Alright! Alright!" Maou submitted and shook his leg, trying to escape the child's grasp._

_"Yes!" she said happily to herself in victory, "Can I have piggyback ride too?!" she asked shooting Maou with a look of excitement._

_"Wha-" before Maou could even finish the one-worded question, the little girl began to hike up his leg._

_"Cool!" exclaimed the tiny child as she reached for something to climb on._

_"I can't carry both of you on my back!"_

_"Well then, carry her in your arms, like a stack of books," the girl proposed, still hanging around his waist._

_Sensing that there was no winning an argument with a 6-year old kid, Maou complied to her wishes and carried Emi in his arms._

_While in the midst of climbing his back, Maou interrupted the girl, "Hey! I don't even know you're name yet!"_

_"Mom says not to give my name to strangers," she said as she blew him a raspberry._

_"I thought we were friends?"_

_"Oh, right! My name is-"_

_"Himeko! Won't you leave that man alone! He's already having a hard time getting his girlfriend home without you pestering him!" a woman's voice rings through the air from inside a nearby house._

_"But moooooom!" Himeko griped in complaint, "I was just about to get a piggyback ride!"_

_"No buts, young lady. Now get inside before you catch a cold,"_

_"Fiiine," she huffed walked back home, head dropped in disappointment. She then turned around to yell at Maou for one last time, "I'm going to get that piggyback ride!"_

_"Himeko!" her mom shouts; peeking her head out the screen door._

_"Coooommmiiingg!" Himeko then dashed to the front door and disappeared as she enters the house._

_At this point, Maou neither had the wits or the strength to put Emi back on his back; he just continued to drag his feet beneath him the rest of the way._

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**Real-time; Castle Overlord; 7:00pm**

The sun had just set and another blizzard was upon them; the wind pushing against the windows, creaking the walls. Maou and Ashiya had just finished moving Emi and Hanzo to Kamazuki's room and left Suzuno there to tend to them. It was peaceful and quiet in Castle Overlord once again, reminiscent to the times before Emi, Suzuno, or Hanzo's arrival. After a while, Suzuno re-entered the room.

"Are they still down?" Ashiya asked casually as he dried the dishes.

"Both of them are sleep deprived," was how Suzuno responded.

"You know, I still don't know what's so special about that computer of his." Maou thought out loud.

"Urushihara never turns that thing off, even now that he incapacitated," Ashiya noticed.

"I'd love to find out what so extraordinary about it, though," Suzuno voiced out then thinks to herself, "May I?" she asked, gesturing towards said contraption.

"Be our guest," Maou acknowledges as Suzuno sits down in front of the computer.

"Thank you."

"But if anything happens to it, it's all on you, we had nothing to do with it," Ashiya warned as he sat across Maou around the table. Suzuno politely nodded.

_"Hmmm… How does he use this thing again?"_ She ponders to herself, _"All I know is, he usually moves this…"_ she places her hand on the mouse, and all of a sudden the city's power went out. Lights shutting off, as far as the eye could see.

"OH NO!" Suzuno shouted panicking.

"Hmmm… The city's power is out," Maou expressed.

"WAS THAT ME?!" Suzuno asked trembling in fear over what she could of just done, "I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!"

"The generators mustn't have been made to take this kind of punishment from the weather," Ashiya responded to his liege.

"I DIDN'T KNOW!" Suzuno said frantically turning toward the two men, in a desperate attempt to explain herself.

Without warning, Hanzo opened the door and stepped in, "You'd think the generators would be strong enough to take this kind of abuse."

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Suzuno begged giving Urushihara a series of bows. Hanzo stood still in shock, giving her a confused look. Puzzled on why his neighbour was acting this way.

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**Was watching Kokoro Connect the other day and just had to make a little crossover/easter egg. Haha! I thought of making teasers, but I'm not really good with those.**

**R&R please. :D The reviews really help me a lot. Let me hear if you see any improvements I need to do with my writing or just enjoyed the story.**

_**3 chapters and still just one day? I told you I'm a really slow writer. :))**_

**Are my chapters too short?**


	4. Chapter 4

**It's a slow and boring chapter, imo. -_- But I did enjoy writing it.**

**Betareaders: DTM Sora & Celestial Fire Lion**

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**Suzuno's Apartment; 7:30pm**

Suzuno was never properly introduced to technology, so a wide scale power shortage didn't affect her the way it would a normal person. Every night, when she needed light, she'd just light up a few candles to brighten the room, and that's what she did that evening.

With a wall separating the boys from them, Suzuno rested on both her knees head bowed in shame, while Emi organized the goods that the dark haired girl had taken home earlier in a neat little ice box at the corner. As if she needed more punishment, Emi continued to freeze herself with the cold of the ice box. Emi, trying to lighten her friend's mood, attempted to comfort the dark haired girl.

"I'm sure you didn't look that foolish," Emi turned to her friend with a smile.

"Are kidding me? I looked like the first mountain girl to ever wander into a city," Suzuno replied, cheeks tinted red in humiliation. She fumed at the thought that she'd never made an effort to integrate technology into her life, causing her to break down like that in front of Maou, Ashiya, and especially Urushihara, _"Wait, since when do I care about that NEET? Why does he keep popping in my head like this?"_ though she may try to deny it, what she was most embarrassed with was showing the panicked and vulnerable side of herself to Urushihara. She folded her knees up to her chest and allowed her face to sink into her lap.

"Cheer up, a lot of people aren't too good with technology," the redhead said trying to encouraged her friend.

"But they are not nearly as bad as I," Suzuno said back sinking her head further into her kimono, "I'd rather not talk about it. How about you? How's your day so far," her voice muffled by the fabric.

"Not too great," Emi sighed, "But I finally did get some rest; even if it came in exchange with Maou dragging me across town," the Hero cringed at the thought, being in need of the Demon King's aid was not ideal for her.

"You really hate him that much?" Suzuno asked raising her head in intrigue. Emi shrugged; she didn't understand her feelings toward the Devil King anymore. He may have been a power-hungry overlord back in Ente Island, but here, he's a good, responsible, law-abiding, albeit happy-go-lucky, guy. All she knew was, if it weren't for him, she might still be in that bitter intersection, cold and weary.

"I don't know. Something about Maou carrying me around like a doll just freaks me out," Emi shuddered.

"If it was so unnerving, why didn't just sleep through the whole walk?"

"I tried doing that, but somewhere along the way, a little brat woke me up and made Maou carry me in his arms… like a stack of books" she still couldn't believe what she was saying. In silent recollection, her mind began to wander; she recalled how Maou once ordered the deaths of countless people, just to annex his kingdom. After all that, she didn't expect Maou's arms to be so warm. For an Overlord, he sure knew how to make a distraught girl feel at ease, making her climb onto an estranged man's back. For a moment, he made Emi feel as if all her responsibilities had vanished. She never knew that being rescued felt this relieving. Just for a moment, she felt no pressure or need to be strong and responsible for anything. In spite of everything, isn't that what everyone needs; someone to lean on when your legs refuse to move beneath you?

Unexpectedly, a huge gust of wind ripped the windows from the old apartment's walls, letting in a few buckets of snow that blows out the candles. Suzuno, being the closest to the window, was showered by the unrelenting snow.

"This building's falling apart! Why do you even stay here?" Emi shouted over the wind, shielding her eyes from the incoming barrage of snow.

"I don't know! It's the only place I can stay where I can trust anyone!" Suzuno yelled, crawling away from the gaping hole where her window used to be.

"How the hell are we going to plug this hole?!"

"Don't worry, I'm on it!" she crawled over to grab a few udon boxes.

"What?! No! You're already drenched! I'll fix it. Go and call the guys, I'm going to need some help with this mess."

Suzuno nodded, scrambling for the door. As she ran down the relatively short hall, she felt the snow melt against her warm skin, sliding down her back. Her body heated up with all the adrenaline as she busted the door open, "Emi needs help!"

"Huh?" Maou and Ashiya said in unison as they turned to face her. Suzuno stumbled upon Maou and Ashiya sneaking around, drawing little cartoon devils on Urushihara's sleeping head. What better way to relieve stress than to draw on the sleeping face of the household bum? They weren't proud of it, but it got the job done.

"What are you guys doing?" Suzuno asked, astonished at the sight of the bane of Ente Island and his right hand man, doodling on the forehead of an 18-year old boy.

"N-… nothing…" Maou said, hiding the markers behind his back.

"Never mind, Emi needs some help. Do you still keep Hanzo's udon boxes around here? A gust wind tore a hole in my wall."

"Oh sure," Ashiya said calmly and opened the closet to reveal a stack of folded cardboard boxes on the bottom shelf, "How much of these are you going to need?"

"I think it's safe to say that we're going to need all of them," she replied holding a nervous smile. They obviously didn't know how big the hole was. The hole was enormous; you can fit a fridge right-side up in it.

"Well, I guess you can never be too sure," Maou said with a smile and carried a stack of cardboard, behind him trailed Ashiya with his own stack. The two walked nonchalantly down the hall and turned Suzuno's doorknob and as Maou pushed the door open-

SPLOOOOOSH!

He was greeted by the huge blast of an airstream, sending clusters of snow to cover his body.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!" Maou exclaimed, shaking the snow off in the process.

"THE HELL IF I KNOW! YOUR DAMN APARTMENT IS FALLING APART!" Emi screamed as she hopelessly tries to patch the cavity.

"YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SPENT A NIGHT HERE AND YOU'RE ALREADY CAUSING DAMAGE!?" Ashiya retorted as the two demons tried to crawl into the apartment.

"IF THE LANDLADY ASKS WHO'S RESPONSIBLE, I'LL GLADLY GIVE HER YOUR HEAD!" Maou threatened Emi, preparing the rest of the boxes.

"DOES KAMAZUKI HAVE ANY DUCT TAPE LYING AROUND HERE!?" Ashiya asked at the top of his lungs.

"WELL LOOK AROUND!" Maou shouted at his cohort, "AND SHUT THE DOOR WHILE YOU'RE AT IT! THERE'S NO REASON TO TURN THE HALLWAY INTO WINTER WONDERLAND!"

"YES SIR!" shouted Ashiya over the roar of the wind, then struggled toward the door and slammed it shut.

**BLAM!**

While all of this is happening, Suzuno was left alone in the other room; all that she had for company was a few appliances and a sleeping Hanzo at the corner. She let out a little laugh to herself as she saw the drawings on Urushihara's face, _"A little warm water should wipe that right off,"_ she thought before patting off the snow off of her clothes and proceeding to heat a kettle in the little gas stove. As soon as she saw steam leave the spout of the kettle, she poured the water into a towel and walked over to Hanzo.

It felt surreal; she never thought she'd be this close to the Morningstar's face. And never did she think that she'd be wiping the Devil King's cartoon doodles off of it. She cracked a smile at the ridiculousness of all this. She was enjoying herself amidst all the chaos in the other room.

She felt Hanzo's body starting to tremble once again and hurried to grab a blanket. He may be one of the feared generals in the past, but without his magic, he was just as helpless as she was. She wrapped the blanket around the purple haired boy and sat right beside him. It was a long and tiring day, she usually slept early, but with all the commotion around her, she barely had any time to shut her eyes for a while. Realizing that she found her first break of the day, she rested her head against the wall behind her; moments later, she was fast asleep, dropping her head to rest on Hanzo's shoulder.

Urushihara, sensing a weight on his shoulder, opened his eyes and looked over to see a resting Suzuno nestled beside him. He let off a sigh and took time to think to himself. After a while, he shared his covers with the girl, ever so gently grabbing her waist and pulling her closer. He never did like to sleep at night; he would usually spend his evenings balled up in front of his computer, and occasionally look at the moon for a change of scenery. But with no computer because of the black out, and no moon because of the blizzard, all he could do tonight was watch Suzuno as she slept; taking little breaths to survive, it reminded Hanzo that, though she was once an executioner, her life was still as fragile as anyone else's in this planet. On most nights he'd rather have technology as his only friend, but seeing how much this girl had done for him in the span of one day, this change of scenery didn't bother him as much.

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**Let me know what you guys think. :D I'm trying my best to improve my writing, let me know if there's anything I need to improve on.**

**R&R please... The reviews are really a big help. :) Also, let me know if you want more chapters like this one.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Betareaders: DTM Sora and Celestial Fire Lion (Thanks for the quick work guys. Hehe.)**

**This chapter is sort of a palette-cleanser from the last one. Hope you enjoy.  
**

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**Suzuno's Apartment; 9:15pm**

Emi, Maou and Ashiya were halfway done and were still struggling to patch the wall up. It didn't help that they've already gone through the roll of duct tape they've found and 3/4 of the way through the cardboard boxes.

"UHMM… GUYS," Maou, shouted over all the noise, calling the attention of his colleagues.

"WHAT?" Emi responded, packing as much cardboard as she could into each other under the extreme cold.

"I THINK WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF CARDBOARD," he said, flipping over what was left of their stack of udon boxes.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME," Emi voiced out in frustration, putting all her weight on the little cardboard project she had going on.

"WELL, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DECIDED TO COVER THE HOLE WITH 5-INCH THICK CARDBOARD PADDING!"

It was true, Emi was the one to think up this idea that wasn't going as she had versioned it.

"IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SNOW STORM! IT'S GOING TO HELP WITH THE INSULATION! IT'S FREEZING IN HERE!"

"WE WOULDN'T BE FREEZING LIKE THIS IF WE JUST FINISHED THE JOB IN A FASTER PACE! YOU, PRESSING DOWN CARDBOARD, ARE NOT HELPING THAT CAUSE!"

"SHOCK ME, SAY SOMETHING INTELLIGENT! HOW DO YOU PROPOSE WE DO THIS QUICKER?"

"WE COULD START BY USING 3-INCH PADDING FROM HERE ON END! YOU'RE WORKING TOO HARD AND TOO LONG ON THE 5-INCH ONES!"

"HARD WORK IS WHAT SEPARATES ME FROM YOU! NOT THAT YOU'D UNDERSTAND! I LEARNED THE VALUE OF HARD WORK BY WORKING HARD!"

Ashiya looked at her in disbelief, and then to Maou wishing to ask a question over the roaring wind, "WAS THAT A QUOTE?"

"I THINK IT'S A QUOTE!" Maou responded to his assistant thinking if it was indeed a quote or not.

Ashiya shouted at Emi, "DO YOU REALLY HAVE THAT MUCH TIME IN YOUR HANDS TO BE SEARCHING QUOTES IN YOUR FREE TIME?"

Maou joined his Ashiya in questioning Emi, "HOW MANY MOTIVATIONAL POSTERS HAVE YOU GONE THROUGH AT WORK?"

"YOU'D THINK A HERO WOULD SPEND HER TIME MORE WISELY," Ashiya added with a snicker.

"ENOUGH ALREADY," Emi retorted, "WHETHER IT'S TAKING TOO LONG OR I'M WORKING TOO HARD, IT'S STILL GOING TO RESIST ALL THIS WIND A LOT BETTER THAN YOUR STUPID LITTLE QUICK-FIX!"

Maou and Ashiya looked at each other and shouted at her in harmony, "IT'S **SUPPOSED** TO BE A QUICK FIX!"

"WE'RE GOING TO TEAR IT DOWN AS SOON AS CONSTRUCTION FOR A NEW WINDOW BEGINS, ANYWAY," Maou reminded Emilia.

"LOOK, HERO, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG YOU PLAN ON KEEPING MY LIEGE IN THIS HYPOTHERMIA-THEMED, FROSTBITE-INDUCED HELL HOLE OF YOURS, BUT AS SOON AS WE RUN OUT OF CARDBOARD, YOU CAN ROT HERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO KEEP EGGNOG, HOCKEY PUCKS, FRUITCAKES, OR WHATEVER THE HELL ELSE SANTA CLAUS COMES UP WITH, FROM FLYING IN THAT 5-FOOT HOLE WE STILL HAVEN'T PATCHED UP YET," Ashiya threatened her, swinging the empty roll of tape in front of her face, pointing at the gaping hole that was still needing attention.

All of a sudden, the winds died down. All that was left were the clouds covering the sky and the eerie sound of twilight together with the whistling of the shifting breeze.

Seeing this, they stood up, and with a stretch Maou said, "I'm glad that's done," walking toward the door, looking forward for a night's rest, Ashiya following closely behind him.

Emi looks at the two of them in dismay and confusion, "W-… wait… where are you going?"

"Going back to our apartment," Maou replied.

"What about the hole!?"

"Well, you can come with us or you can do what Ashiya just told you," he sighed, it was a particularly demanding night, "You're welcome to sleep in our apartment, it's not like you're going to get much rest here with a huge draft like that. Surrounded by water, you'll turn into a prune by the time you wake up tomorrow. "

"But, we're still going to finish this job tomorrow, right? I mean, it'd be stupid not to," Emi pleaded.

Maou walked over to her and threw his arm over her shoulders as they look at what was remaining of their work, "I'd love to agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong," he said in a loving matter-of-fact tone.

"Get your arm off of me," Emi said boiling under Maou.

"You can complain all you want, I'm still not going to finish that touch-up," Maou swung his arm off of her, "It's a shame Urushihara downed the last of the ginger tea, I could go for a drink right about now. "

"I'll get right on it, milord," Ashiya kneels in front of his master.

"No bother, I'll just sleep it off."

"I insist."

"Thanks," Maou gave Ashiya a smile, "I'll send Urushihara over to help you out. It's about time he did something around here."

Ashiya nodded in response and opened the door for both Maou and Emi. Emi was still reluctant to come with him, Maou blurted out a few words that would change her mind, "You know, Kamazuki barged into our apartment drenched, I doubt she'd find anything suitable to change into in our room."

With that, Emi's eyes widened as she remembered that she ordered Suzuno to get help, without thinking that she'd been showered by snow and ice, "Crap!" Emi shouted in disgust with her insensitive actions toward Suzuno. She rushed for Kamazuki's wardrobe and picked out a fresh set of clothes for her friend to wear.

Emi dashed out the door as Maou calmly walked behind her; Maou gave Ashiya an affirming smile and strolled off. Ashiya shut the door and looked for ginger around Suzuno's room.

In the meantime, as the winds started to die down, Hanzo sensed that the three were just about to wrap up. He set Suzuno comfortably leaning on the corner where he sat and fixed his futon. Knowing that Kamazuki was always resolute about order, just under Ashiya, he ironed out the creases on the sheets and whipped the blanket in the air to get rid of the dust before picking her up and tucking her in bed.

After a few moments, Emi rushed in and found Hanzo sitting back at his corner and Suzuno snug in a futon. She woke Suzuno up and forced the griping drowsy girl into the bathroom to change clothes. As she was doing this, Maou stepped in, surprised that Hanzo's little tattoos had been removed, given that they didn't own a mirror, and informed him that Ashiya needed help one room over.

Without asking what he needs help with, Urushihara complied and headed over to Ashiya. Maou was astonished at the fact that Hanzo didn't even mutter a complaint as he usually did when assigned a chore. He'd typically grumble and wear a sour face, then grumble some more, but this time he seemed pretty content. He strolled into Suzuno's apartment; noticing snow slowly melting in the small damp room, he grabbed a cardboard box to sit on and sat across Ashiya who was peeling ginger. Without a thought, Ashiya handed a knife over to him, "Here."

"Huh?" Urushihara was too busy looking at all the damage in the room.

"Grab the knife and start chopping ginger, chop them as thin as you can," Ashiya ordered, "We want to have a strong tea."

Urushihara nodded and did what was asked of him slicing into the ginger roots. The silence is later broken by Hanzo.

"You know what I miss?"

"Electricity? The lights? Your computer?" Shiro spit out answer after possible answer.

"Okay? You know what else I really miss?" Urushihara corrected, rolling his eyes at Ashiya.

"Amuse me."

"Flying, I really miss flying," Hanzo said as he chopped. It's been a while since his last flight; he missed the way it would make his cares go away as soon as he glided through the air. An idea entered his mind, "Oi, Ashiya."

"Hm?"

"Would it be okay for me to sign up for a skydiving class?"

"Why don't you just jump off the roof of the apartment, I'm sure I can get you a hand full of plastic bags from the grocer."

"You can't wait 'till I die, can you?," Hanzo looked at him with disappointment.

"I assumed that if you wanted to toy with death that much, I'd at least provide you with a more practical solution," Shiro said, pleased with the alternative he came up with.

"Damn cheapskate," Hanzo muttered darkly.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Ashiya exclaimed in panic.

"What?" the Son of the Dawn asked in bewilderment.

"I TOLD YOU TO CHOP THEM AS THIN AS YOU COULD," Ashiya pointed at Hanzo's work; inconsistent, relatively thick slices of ginger, "YOU CALL THAT THIN? THAT COULD PASS FOR A BRICK!"

"Well I don't do so well with blades. Last time I used something this sharp, Emi put a damn sword through my chest."

"I knew you walking in here without an objection had to have a downside," Ashiya droned, "Here," he grabbed the knife from Urushihara and handed him a peeler.

"Hey! I'm trying the best I could. If you're just going to banter my knife skills, then just change the subject."

Ashiya smirked at the opportunity. Given that he didn't have much to keep himself entertained around the house, other than doing chores, Ashiya revelled at every chance he got to make a pocket book out of the lives of people around him.

"Alright then," the demon general concurred as he started to chop ginger.

"Oh no…" Hanzo, sensing that he just steered the conversation into a subject Ashiya gladly exhausted many times before, wrestled with himself.

"Let's talk about Kamazuki," a little Shiro in his head starts giggling to himself.

"Bother…"

"Don't give me that. It's been a month since we last talked about this. I already wash your clothes, the least you could do is throw me a bone here."

"You've really turned into a manwife haven't you?" Hanzo said trying to evade the topic.

"I refuse to be offended by that remark. But anyway, why won't you go after her? She seems like a nice girl."

"I bet your ass is getting jealous of the amount of crap that's flowing out of your mouth right now," Hanzo began to use a hostile tone against his colleague, reminiscent of the snappy attitude he had back at Ente Island, but to no avail.

"You still like her, don't you?"

He realized it was useless to use aggression against a former demon general. He didn't appreciate the topic at hand and desperately gathered himself. With a huge sigh, Urushihara tried to bail out for one last time, "I thought we aren't going to talk about this anymore?" Hanzo pleaded.

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**Thanks for reading all the way to here. :D I had to fight over a writer's block to write this one, so it may be a little sloppy. Sorry about that.**

**Please review, tell me what I need to work on or if you liked the chapter. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wrote this around 2am, and the story took a weird turn. Should probably stop writing early in the morning. I made half the stuff up.**

**Betareader: Celestial Fire Lion**

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**Suzuno's Apartment; 10:30pm**

"I thought we aren't going to talk about this anymore?"

The room was dark, no candles and no lights, with just a few fireflies outside. Not that it bothered them; their eyes were well accustomed to the dark.

"I said no such thing," Shiro answered his associate, "I merely said that I'll try to avoid the topic."

"You're not doing a very good job at it."

"That's because I don't like avoiding it," Ashiya said plainly as he continues his chore, "Now tell me, do you still like Suzuno?"

"We never established that I did!" Hanzo coughed out, irritated.

"Well, you never said you didn't," Ashiya smirks.

"There's no getting around this, is there?" Hanzo whined.

"Not unless you take that job offer at Shinjuku and move out," Shiro reminded Urushihara about the job offer he received from a tech firm a couple of weeks back to become an industry programmer, "But, given that investigations are still ongoing on your muggings all over Shibuya last year, I'm guessing that isn't an option for you."

"It's beginning to cool down," Hanzo keeps his hopes up; "I'll bet sometime this week it'll be a cold case."

"And when that happens, the Devil King and I will be expecting your departure," Ashiya informed Hanzo, "Now, back to the topic at hand."

Urushihara gave up evading the topic and exhaled, "What do you want?"

"Simple, I want to know whether you like Kamazuki or not."

"I can't answer that," Hanzo replied, void of any energy.

"Don't toy around with me, boy!" Ashiya snapped at the NEET, how dare he deprive Ashiya one of his few pleasures around the household, "Just answer the question! Have you ever had a liking on Kamazuki?!"

"Sheesh, we should really get you a TV," Hanzo groaned under his voice. Ashiya, on the other hand, was still in mid-tantrum, too busy to notice anything Urushihara says beyond this point.

"Have you fallen for Suzuno?! It's such a simple question! Why won't you just answer the damn thing?!"

"What's it to you?!" Hanzo gives in and starts rebutting Ashiya's incoming questions.

"I'm dead set on this! There has to be a way to squeeze it out of you!"

"Live and let live!"

"I can't allow that! I'm too invested in this! Why can't you just answer!?" Ashiya pulls his hair down.

"Because I don't know!" Hanzo barked, "I don't know if I ever did like her; and frankly, I don't think it should matter to anyone if I did."

Upon hearing this, Ashiya calmed down, "I bet it would matter to her," he finishes up the ginger, "As tough and composed as she wants to be, you can see right through her; can't you?"

Hanzo moaned, as much as he didn't want to notice it, it was getting increasingly difficult as the days went on. It was never something big that he could chuck up as her being particularly nice that day, it was always the small tiny things that she did in frequent doses, "I don't know, I always tried to turn a blind eye. I mean, what if there's nothing there to see? I might just be putting her acts under a completely different light; I've read all kinds of people in my time, but something about her just scares me to peer into anything she does."

Ashiya chuckled as he dumped the ginger in the kettle, setting it on the stove to boil, "You really have fallen for this girl, haven't you? Just talking about her has beaten you into a pulp."

Little did Urushihara realize that he was already on the ground. Seeing this, his eyes widened at how stupid he looked and pulled himself together, "It's not like I even like her that much."

"Hm?" Ashiya breathed out in disbelief, "So tell me then, if you don't like her that much, what's all of this?" he gestured at Urushihara's unsteady state.

"I have no idea how to answer that. Living here just sucks. I don't get to go outside; I don't even get to peek out the window when the sun's out. There's nothing to do, it's not like I'm a bum by choice. I still want to be as productive as I can-"

"EHEM!"

"OTHER THAN DOING CHORES! I used to go out at night, taking walks by myself, just to clear the air. But that's not a choice here. I've been trapped within these four walls for a year and every day the room just seems to get smaller. I sleep on the floor and I'm roommates with an OCD manwife and a sarcastic former overlord. I get treated like trash around here because I sided with Olba, but can you really blame a guy for trying to get back to heaven? Back home I was someone, I was feared, and I was respected; rows and rows of demons and humans trembling in anticipation, cowering with every flick of my finger. But down here, I'm a loser; forced to live a life no one should ever go through," his voice starts to shake with every word that comes out, "I killed my enemies as quick and as painless as I could. Malacoda would call me weak for it, but I didn't see why I had to make them suffer. I liked the chaos, the destruction, but never the pain and angst," Hanzo shrank as he recalled all the lives he'd stolen, families left with no fathers to look after them, he winced; after all, he was an angel, he was trapped by the situation he was in. He killed because he needed to.

"I… I didn't know," Ashiya cowered in regret.

"Still, I'd much rather spend my time here than to take another father from the comfort of a complete family," Hanzo then composed himself, "Living here still sucks though, with my fellow demons brushing me aside, it's nice to have someone like Kamazuki looking after me like that. Everything sucks about this place, but having her there day in and day out makes it all suck a little less," he laughed at himself, it all seemed silly to him, "Maybe I do like her. Maybe I spend the time I have waiting for her to come through the door. Maybe I hold my breath every time she comes near. Does it matter? At the end of the day, no matter how sweet or caring she is, I'm still nothing but bad news to her; and keeping her from having any kind of relationship with me is the best I could offer."

"Wow," Ashiya blurted out in sarcasm, "How gallant of you."

"I try as best I can," Hanzo replied to Shiro's sarcasm with his own.

"Still-" he gets cut off by the whistle of the kettle. Ashiya stands up and places the kettle to the side and then resumes, "Still, you're probably leaving in less than a week; wouldn't you at least try telling her any of this?"

"Leaving her here is hard enough, letting her go with this in tow is just going to make it harder on me," Urushihara recognizes that there's no point in hiding his admiration of Kamazuki from Shiro anymore.

"You've really grown soft haven't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I never thought I'd see a melodramatic Urushihara, it ruins the stoic cool guy vibe you have going. But the emo feel works too, it goes great with your hair."

"Aren't you supposed to bring the kettle over to Maou?"

"Hey! Watch how you address the dark lord!" Ashiya barked at him, "As a matter of fact, why don't you bring it over? I've been working all day around this house."

"Pfft. Fine," Hanzo grabs the kettle and walks down the hall.

He opens the door and stumbles upon three figures sleeping in the dark. He figured that it was already 1:00am and tiptoed over to the table to place the tea down. He looks over to the young lady sleeping in his bed and crawls toward her. He sits beside the futon and looks down at Suzuno. Even when she's asleep, she still doesn't lose her charm. She looked content and rested; she seemed like she could sleep like that forever. Urushihara smiled to himself, remembering the moment he shared with her amidst the storm. Well, he didn't really share it with anyone, given that she was asleep. The moment was all his, and so was this one. He marvels at the moonlight as it shimmers on her hair, he smiled some more. What he'd give for another minute holding her in a cold corner, just one minute; but no one ever gets lucky twice, do they? It was still something he could hold on to once he left.

"I can't believe I've fallen for you," he whispered to her, as soft as he could. She was asleep, so it's not like she's going to hear him all the way from dreamland, right? He felt as if a thorn has been pulled out his chest, saying it just felt right; and no one was there to hear. This moment was his and his alone.

Without warning, Suzuno opens her eyes; and with a soft, drowsy voice, "Hanzo?"

* * *

**I hope it didn't suck _that _badly. T-T Admittedly, my writing is kinda off in this chapter.**

**Let me know what you think. (Still don't know how to play around the MaouxEmi ship. I'm hopeless.)**


End file.
